From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
A former Senior Special Assistant to the immediate past Governor Samuel Ortom on Media, Mr Barnabas Agashua, has called on those peddling falsehoods against Chief Ortom to continue to mislead the public over salaries and pension arrears to desist from such acts henceforth.
Agashua was reacting to what he described as a mischievous post by an apologist of the current government “making annoying false claims regarding the history of salaries and pensions in Benue State, a matter he knows nothing about.”
In a statement titled “Benue Salaries/Pensions: Setting the Records Straight”, made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Friday, the former aide vowed to always repel all sponsored propaganda against his former boss, Chief Samuel Ortom.
He said the poster needs to know that all previous administrations in Benue State, including the military regimes, owed salaries and pensions.
According to him, “Governor Aper Aku owed teachers for an entire year, while Governor Orshio Adasu also owed several months of salaries. Governor George Akume faced similar challenges with salary and pension payments.
“When Governor Gabriel Suswam vacated office in 2015, he left behind ₦72 billion in unpaid pensions and seven months of salaries.”
He noted that while Governor Samuel Ortom inherited the burden, Nigeria experienced two recessions, along with the impact of COVID-19 during his tenure.
He observed that despite the downturns, Governor Ortom managed to pay salaries consistently for most of his two terms, saying out of the 96 months of his eight years in office, he paid 91 months, leaving only five months unpaid.
Agashua explained that Ortom also implemented the ₦18,000 minimum wage for Benue teachers, adding that “by the time Ortom left office, he had reduced the pension burden he inherited from his predecessor from ₦72 billion to ₦30 billion, meaning he was able to pay off ₦42 billion in pensions.”
He said, “It was also Governor Ortom who domesticated the PENCOM law (Contributory Pension Scheme) in the state and contributed over ₦8 billion to bring Benue closer to the required threshold, enabling the state to access funds to clear pension arrears. Governor Alia is now benefiting from this visionary initiative.”
He described Governor Hyacinth Alia as fortunate, having come into office at a time President Bola Tinubu has made funds abundantly available to states following the removal of the subsidy on petroleum products, at levels four times higher than under the previous administration.
He stated that while Ortom’s government received an average of ₦3.5 billion a month, Governor Alia is receiving an average of ₦15 billion a month, which is why no state in Nigeria is currently owing salaries and pensions.
He advised that, like other governors who are showcasing state-of-the-art projects, the Benue State government and its supporters should follow suit rather than counting salary payments as an achievement.
He informed that “it is also on record that before leaving office, Governor Ortom took proactive steps to negotiate and ensure significant debt reduction and relief for the state.
“Due to Ortom’s passion and commitment to protecting his people against herdsmen attacks and injustices by the previous federal government, Benue State under his administration was denied several entitlements, including funds from bonds, stamp duty, SURE-P, and signature bonus – funds that the state legitimately deserved and for which he fought.
“The Alia administration has since received all those funds. What they owe the people now is an explanation of how they have managed these resources.
“The Alia administration should also tell Benue people what it has received from Abuja as federal allocations and what the state wage bill is.”
He cautioned that as one of those who served in the Ortom administration and one who is conversant with the facts and figures regarding the governance of the state between 2015 and 2023, “we will not fold our hands and watch peddlers of falsehood and agents of deception loyal to the current government continue to mislead the public.
“We will counter every lie with indisputable facts and stoutly repel all sponsored propaganda against the person of His Excellency, Chief Samuel Ortom.”